Here's another reason to stand up tall: When going through a painful experience, whether…
Read more Read more

Inspired by a language-learning tip from our friends at io9, we did a bit of research and found that having great posture can make way for more efficient learning and increased memory retention. The Brainscape blog explains that when you're learning something, you're also taking in different factors that can affect how well you remember it:

Many of us dream of going to a foreign country and learning some of the local language so we can at …
Read more Read more

According to a study conducted at Florida State University, researchers found out that "congruent body posture" significantly improved access to and retention of autobiographical memories in both young and adult people (Dijkstra, 2005). Therefore, we can say that posture is in some way affecting our ability to recall specific types of memories. But how so? The suggestion seems to be that when you remember something you are also reminded of the "state" of learning, a concept that not only includes posture but also emotions and surrounding environment. Bad posture can therefore be a hindrance to effective learning merely because we later interpret it as an "incongruent" positioning of the body.

They later go on to explain that learning efficiently requires a mix of physical and mental improvements, so better posture isn't necessarily the number one answer to increased memory retention, but it can certainly play a significant role in how well you learn new things. Take a look at our guide on how to ergonomically optimize your workspace for ways to improve your posture.

We spend a lot of time sitting at our desks every day, and while it may not look like it, it can…
Read more Read more

Update: It appears the interpretation of the cited study was incorrect, and it didn't actually show any evidence regarding a relationship between posture and memory retention, as stated above. That said, keeping good posture is still a good idea, since it can help prevent repetitive stress injuries—so keep up that good posture anyway. Sorry for the misinformation.